Parent Updates 2012-13

A message from our new PAG President, Christine Wu Dittmar (mom to Niko in Horse Class):
We are never too old to learn something new. Just recently, I learned a new way to have a lot of fun! I went to the Luau where I got to support the school while getting to know other Yu Ming families better. I even got better acquainted with a board member who showed up and found out he used to...

Today we kick-off Yu Ming’s First Annual Spring Read-A-Thon!
The read-a-thon is a school wide annual event that encourages students and their families to read and promotes the importance of reading. The program is designed to encourage students to become better readers by reading more often, trying out new books–and having fun doing it, all while supporting Yu Ming. Because Yu Ming is a...

A weekly feature from our school counselor, Kara Nossardi
This week our classroom meetings centered around the Yu Ming Stars campaign. I shared the program information with the students, and we had engaging conversations about what it means to behave safely, responsibly, and respectfully at school. The students were excited to share their knowledge of these values, as well as to learn that...

A weekly feature from our school counselor, Kara Nossardi
As our second week at the new school site comes to a close, I am happy to report that students and faculty alike have settled into our new routine. What a joy it is to have our very own bright and beautiful space!
Looking toward this coming week, we will be introducing a new program at school call Yu Ming Stars, through which students...

Invitation to attend a community meeting on traditional and simplified characters in the education program at Yu Ming
March 8, 2013
Dear Parents,
At the January Board of Directors meeting, I presented my plan to introduce simplified characters in the 2nd grade. Since inception, Yu Ming’s goal has been to produce students who are able to understand texts written in both simplified and...

A weekly feature from our school counselor, Kara Nossardi
This week in community meeting we were treated to a beautiful vocal performance by three YM parents, Dawn Williams-Ferreira, Andie Butler Acuna, and Randolph Belle. In honor of Black History Month, the three sang the African-American National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” written by James Weldon Johnson in 1899...

Yu Ming Charter School has purchased DreamBox Learning’s Math Program — an online, adaptive learning program that helps students achieve better, faster math proficiency.
Your student can access DreamBox Learning from any computer, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week using this link:
https://play.dreambox.com/login/c4ge/yumcs
DreamBox is an online program — there is no software to...

A weekly feature from our school counselor, Kara Nossardi
This week, in honor of February being Black History Month, we learned about the life and contribution of Rosa Parks. In many ways, the lesson was a continuation of the conversation about the Civil Rights Movement that we began with the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, birthday in January. For this week’s...

A weekly feature from our school counselor, Kara Nossardi
We began the week in community meeting with a discussion about “Yu Ming’s Big Move” and a slideshow visual tour of the new school site. The children were extremely curious and excited. In classroom meetings, we took advantage of the smaller venues and spent time asking questions, making comments, and sharing...

Yu Ming Charter School gets new home in north Oakland
Jan. 30, 2013
Oakland – The East Bay’s first Mandarin immersion public charter school is on the move. Yu Ming Charter School, currently in its second year of operation, is relocating to a new site in north Oakland to accommodate its growing student population.
On Monday, Feb. 25, Yu Ming will...

A weekly feature from our school counselor, Kara Nossardi
This week in classroom meetings, we resumed our discussion about how to recognize feelings in ourselves and in others. We reviewed how feelings are often shown in peoples faces and bodies, and we extended the palette to include such cues as actions, words, and situations. To our list of feelings, and in the spirit of moving past the...

A weekly feature from our school counselor, Kara Nossardi
In classroom meetings this week, we celebrated the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., and we learned about his contribution to the civil rights movement. In discussing Dr. King, I spoke with the students about segregation in terms of “separation” based on the color of a person’s skin. We discussed how...

A weekly feature from our school counselor, Kara Nossardi
This week in classroom meetings we worked on identifying feelings and expanding our repertoire of words to describe our feelings and emotions. We discussed how everyone experiences strong feelings–some comfortable, such as happiness and peacefulness, others uncomfortable, such as anger and jealousy. In addition to talking...

We really need everyone’s help with outreach to new parents. Our school does not have paid staff to operate the enrollment process, which means that enrollment is a completely volunteer-run operation. It’s an enormous job, and we need more help.
In order to achieve our goal of being a truly multicultural school, we must increase the diversity of our student body both racially and...

A weekly feature from our school counselor, Kara Nossardi
This past week in community meeting the students had an opportunity to meet with Principal Alan one final time as a group. They listened to his stories and had a chance to ask their beloved principal about his plans once he is not longer at Yu Ming. Given their affection for Principal Alan, as well as their sadness about his...